To receive the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, a service member must complete a total of ten years service as a member of a Reserve or National Guard component of the United States military. This service may be cumulative, provided that the combined ten years of service was performed over a period of twelve consecutive years. Voluntary recalls to active duty are not counted within the ten years of service. In addition, unlike the Reserve Good Conduct Medal, a service member’s disciplinary history is not a factor when awarding the Armed Forces Reserve Medal. IRR members are eligible for the AFRM, according to the Naval Personnel Command (see http://www.npc.navy.mil/CareerInfo/ReservePersonnelManagement/IRR/IRRGuide.htm/)

Prior to 1995, the initial award of the Armed Forces Reserve Medal was presented without a device with the second and subsequent awards denoted by hourglass emblems. The modern Armed Forces Reserve Medal is presented with a bronze hourglass device upon its initial issuance for ten years of reserve service. Subsequent awards of the Armed Forces Reserve Medal are annotated by upgrading the hourglass device to silver, for 20 years, and gold, for 30 years. A fourth award of the Armed Forces Reserve Medal, for 40 years, is denoted by a...Read More